I call this “a bit” because of the weather yesterday. Brrrrrr… sorry Northerners, I know that you endure much more and if I sound like a wimp it is only because I am not used to it. Long sleeve T, short sleeve T, Gerbings + windproof vest + Aerostich! That was the most I had worn in a long time… when will they be making electrics for dogs??? But Spirit was OK… a real trooper!

We stopped at the many scenic parking lots, yes, just like the tourists do… there were quite a few even with the bad weather and the snow coming down like little miniature pellets, and as I always joke that I will have a donation can… $1 a picture… I could have paid for a gas tank yesterday. That is pictures of Spirit in the car, no one yet has taken one of me! Oh! well…

Just like today, riding to the Vegas BMW Store, beautiful store by the way, the two very attractive ladies behind the desk suddenly where all over him! And I did tell them… “he is ruining my social life… I never have chance!”. He deserves the attention, he has a good life compared to his abused one when I got him when he was 9 months old. But that is another “rescued story”.

Motorcycles have a fee of $2 at the gate instead of the $5 for cars… since when do we get a break! I remember being at some toll booth and being charged as a car, because the rig, they said, has two axles… that also is another subject however.

They have done an awesome job laying the road for this loop. We have to do it again, more of an all day thing, but we did get to enjoy it a lot with 10 different lookout lots, all being the beginning of trails and some with a bit more road leading to picnic areas. They have hours, the gate closes around 5 pm and I was thinking how it would be to sneak in and spend the night in the wilderness as the animals are not used to any human presence! The howling and growls must be so incredible.

I found out why the rock is red in places. This is how it goes…

More than 600 million years ago, the sand that would become Red Rock Canyon was the bottom of a deep Ocean Basin. Over time, changing land and sea levels resulted in the deposition of both ocean and continental sediments that became the grey limestone found at Red Rock Canyon today. About 180 million years ago, a giant sand dune field formed over what became the Western United States. Powerful winds shifted the sands back and forth, forming angled lines in the sand.

Over time, the sheer weight of the layers of sand compressed into stone. This formation, locally known as Aztec Sandstone, is quite hard and forms the cliffs of Red Rock Canyon. Exposure to the elements caused some of the iron-bearing minerals to oxidize, This oxidizing process can be more easily thought of as “the rusting of the sand”, which resulted in red, orange and tan colored rocks.

And the ride continued… cold? It was not a thought anymore as the scenery is indescribable, and pictures, even with the clouds and some snow curtains began to grow into their own personality. These are some of my best moments, they allow me a meditation spanning a lifetime unequaled any other time span. The Soul rests, detached from it all, soaring only to the Now, there is Peace unburdened from any past or future.

It is so strange that for all the past years traveling 5 to 6 months a year I have never found such momentum. Maybe I knew always deep down that I was going back to the other side of the coin. When I left, and I can say this now, “a few months ago”, I knew this was the path I needed to take regardless of its consequences related to maybe physical possessions, financial burdens that might come up and I realize it today, a realization felt stronger than ever that it was the right decision.

Only my very close friends supported me versus family which truly thought… there he goes again… as the time I decided many moons ago to live on a sailboat… as many years ago deciding that owning a restaurant and a bakery at the same time was not my path… and choosing to be a Personal Chef for only six months out of the year. But… “buts” I heard. How about retirement egg nest?… how about security? My bank account is full of memories… my friends are my dividends of this life I lead… my Rolex is the daily sunrise and the sunset… how much more secure can one be!

Of course I will cook again… I cook now… for my friends… for my new friends that have opened their doors to us already so many times… their smiles and their silence (while eating!) are my own joy today, the best reward anyone can receive. My Blog’s comments and many e mails are my daily pulse… I would not trade this seat right now for anything else… I have moved through these times from within, you or I will not find a store that will sell, or lease or rent this lifestyle… wether is by the day or by the life!

I have always been an open book here since day one… a good friend of mine not too long ago e mailed me to “lighten up” on some of my comments regarding the essence of this Journey…

I never said I would write about motorcycling only, or food only or anything else only…

This is a Lifetime Journey… “The Oasis of my Soul” as I call it… it has many currants taking me forward.

Ara,
You and Spirit keep rolling in the wind, like the old saying goes, “He marches to his own drummer”. Not too many have the huevo’s to follow their heart. Enjoy every minute of your freedom in the wind. Keep on keep’n on.

“Any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you……Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question……Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.” – Carlos Casteneda, The Teachings of Don Juan.

If your path has heart, Ara. Than it is good.
I suspect that your friend may not understand that for some of us, these journeys, our paths, our wanderings are pilgrimages. They are pilgrimages to places where we find our soul.

Hi Ara: I have enjoyed following your modern day “Travels with Charlie”. The photos and prose are wonderful. We spend time in Anza Borrego and Ocotillo Wells. Two wheels are much easier on sandy roads than two wheels with a sidecar. Quads are the easiest but not legal in the state park. Hope to run into you out there sometime.